Dangerous: A 'What If' Story
by bionic4ever
Summary: Dan1. A followup to the television episode 'The Jailing of Jaime'. What if Doctor Hatch had given Jaime a phony file, and the real evidence needed to clear her was destroyed in the explosion? Can Steve save her in time?
1. Chapter 1

**Dangerous**

Chapter One

"Miss Sommers, you're under arrest," Chief Investigator Gregory said harshly, his gun at the ready.

Jaime slammed the thick file of papers into his hands. "Tell me about it _after _you read this." She was still out of breath from the exertion of having forced the four-inch thick safe door open just seconds before the safe had self-destructed. They were standing in the hallway just outside the office where the explosion had just taken place, and Jaime was annoyed but not surprised that Gregory couldn't even wait until the dust and smoke had cleared before he made his move.

It had been the narrowest escape of her life. Jaime had been jailed, locked up in an NSB holding cell, after being framed for the theft of government equipment. A forty million dollar decoding device, designed by Doctor Ellis Hatch, was missing, and Jaime had been the courier. Against Oscar's stern advice, she'd broken out of the cell, determined to prove her innocence. She'd been forced into a safe at gunpoint by Doctor Hatch's assistant when she figured out that he and Hatch had been the ones who'd framed her, and were actually behind the theft of Hatch's forty million dollar decoder device themselves. Jaime had thought quickly and pulled Doctor Hatch into the safe with her. The five-minute countdown to the safe's self-destruction had begun and the only key that could stop the count - with its insertion into the box _outside_ the safe - was in Hatch's pocket, _inside_ the safe.

Jaime told Hatch the only way they'd be getting out alive was if he gave her the files that would incriminate him and his assistant in not only the theft, but also the murders of several accomplices. Jaime was basically going to clear her name or die trying. Once the files were finally in her hands, she forced open the huge door with less than ten seconds to spare, and Jaime, Oscar and Doctor Hatch had just cleared the office door when the safe exploded.

It gave Jaime great personal satisfaction to prevail over the NSB's Chief Investigator, since she'd always considered him to be far too full of himself. When he'd taken Jaime and locked her in the NSB's holding cell, she could've sworn she saw him _smirking_.

"An apology would be nice," Jaime told Gregory as he opened the file and began to read, "but I know you would never -"

"Just exactly what are you trying to pull?" Gregory growled.

"Excuse me?"

"Turn around, face the wall and put your hands behind your back," he ordered. "I won't tell you twice." Jaime merely stared at him in stunned disbelief, so Gregory grabbed her roughly, turned her around and shoved her, causing her head to hit the wall with a loud THUD.

"Oww!"

Oscar stepped forward and had to physically force himself not to throw a punch. "What the hell -?"

"See for yourself," Gregory said, handing Oscar the file.

Oscar opened it and began to read: _The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog..._ "Oh no," he whispered. He turned back to Jaime and saw Gregory not only handcuffing her, but placing her in shackles and a belly-chain as well. "Look, we'll get this straightened out. I hardly think it's necessary to -"

"She kicked out the wall of our holding cell. I think that constitutes an escape risk. This time, she goes to The Hole. Oscar, it was my understanding that your superiors have ordered that you have nothing whatsoever to do with this case."

"**There is _no_ case**!" Oscar stormed.

Gregory was already leading Jaime away, and she looked back over her shoulder at Oscar with pleading, tearful eyes, breaking the OSI Director's heart.

------

Jaime huddled on the floor in a corner, her legs tucked beneath her and one cheek pressed against the rough concrete wall, weeping softly. She wished Gregory and his boss, Jack Hansen, had put her in jail or even prison - anything but this! She was locked in an inhumanly tiny NSB cell known as The Hole, used to confine only the most violent, dangerous prisoners.

"Six inches of concrete," Gregory told her with his trademark smirk, "then two inches of solid steel and a double brick wall after that. Try kicking your way out of here, Little Girl." Jaime could still hear his malicious laughter as he walked down the corridor and headed up and out of the old sub-basement, re-closing and locking the heavy metal door behind himself.

The air in her cell - in the entire sub-basement - was damp, frigid and smelled like mildew. The were no windows and the only light came from a single bulb at the other end of the corridor, in front of the locked door. Jaime stared at the narrow metal shelf that passed as both a chair and a so-called bed, with only one threadbare blanket and a pillow so thin that it offered no real cushioning. She'd wrapped the blanket around herself then huddled in the corner, thoroughly terrified and shivering in the cold, stale-aired cell.

Jaime no longer had any idea how long she'd been there when her ear picked up the sounds of a heated argument at the guards' desk on the other side of the door at the end of the hallway.

"I don't give a damn! You could be the Second Coming, and you're still not going in there without Jack Hansen's ok."

"Look, you're nothing more than a glorified doorman." This second voice was familiar, and Jaime listened more closely: **_Steve_**! "I am a Federal Agent," Steve told the unyielding guard. "I'm investigating this case for the OSI and will be assisting Miss Sommers' attorney." He began to bluff, very convincingly. "I don't think you want to be charged with obstructing a Federal investigation _and_ interfering with this prisoner's legal defense. Either you open this door, _immediately_, or I'll have Oscar Goldman, the Secretary of State and the President himself down here faster than you can say 'I'm going to prison'!"

Jaime heard the lock click and the door slowly cr-re-eaked open. "Ring the buzzer when you're ready to leave," the guard said.

"Uh-uh, doorman; you aren't done. You're gonna let me in that cell."

"No way. I can't do that for anyone. I'll be -"

"_Excuse me_?"

"I - I'll have to lock you in there with her, and she's extremely dangerous."

"I'll take my chances. Now." Steve's heart cringed at the sight of his former fiancee - a woman he still loved more than life itself - huddled on the floor of a hole in the wall no bigger than six feet long and six feet wide. He remained stoic until the guard had returned to his station on the other side of the door down the hall.

"Oh, Jaime," he said sadly, kneeling down to put an arm around her shoulder. He felt her trembling body, saw her tear-stained face that was devoid of any hope, and wrapped both arms around her instead, pulling her close. Steve stood up slowly, easing Jaime up with him, to sit on the metal shelf. "Not even a mattress?"

"In the other cell, but not here," she answered in a quivering voice.

"You shouldn't be here," he said firmly. "I'm getting you out, right now." He turned and rapped his knuckles against the wall, checking for weak points.

"It's solid," Jaime replied, "and besides, that's how I got locked up down here in the first place."

"I know. But you didn't do this, and they're not gonna find you again until we prove that."

"No, Steve. I don't need to be in any more trouble, and I'm **_not_** gonna drag you down with me."

"Down? Sweetheart, you shouldn't be 'down' - here or anywhere else - in the first place," Steve insisted. "So how thick are these walls?"

"Steve -"

"I don't see any surveillance cameras. Are we bugged?"

"Steve...no! Please."

"Ok; _I'll_ make the hole and _I'll_ carry you out. You didn't escape - you were kidnapped."

"No."

"You know as well as I do that we're still the best team going. I can clear you by myself, but I could do it a lot faster with you helping me." Steve ran his fingertips down her face, wishing he could absorb the pain he saw there. "I'm gonna need your input, and I had to bluff my way in here this time -"

"I know."

"I doubt I'll be able to do that again, and I can't stand having you spend one more second in this place." Steve stood up, putting his hands on the bars. "Maybe these walls are too thick, but I'll bet I can break through out in the hallway."

"We're underground, Steve."

"Then you'd better come and help me dig." Resolutely, he pried the bars far enough apart to slip through and, after a test rap on the outer wall, kicked with all his strength, achieving a modest-sized hole as his foot hit dirt on the other side. He gave a couple more solid kicks, enlarging the hole, and then began to dig.

Jaime, still sitting in the cell, began worrying about the guard - or, God forbid, Hansen or Gregory - finding Steve in the process of committing a felony, and finally got up and helped him dig. Five minutes later, Jaime was breathing fresh, outside air once again, and the two of them were officially fugitives.

------


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Oscar was remarkably calm, given what was about to happen to him. His secure phone rang and he picked it up immediately. "Is she out?" he asked, careful not to use _her_ name.

"Yeah. She's safe. And no, I didn't tell her."

"Good. All hell's breaking loose here, and they'll be here to 'detain' me any minute now, but if she's safe and you're on the case, I'm not the least bit worried." Oscar had known this would happen, but he'd rather spend a day or two (longer, if necessary) in a regular NSB holding cell than have Jaime locked up for one more second in The Hole. "I've got some information for you," he told Steve quietly, unsure of when they'd be breaking down his door, and not wanting to share anything with the NSB. "Milly Wilson is dead. Let her know that, and she might be able to come up with some sort of lead for you."

"Got it. And - thank you."

The expected commotion was beginning, just outside his office. "Good luck, Pal; gotta go - they're here."

Oscar hung up the phone just as Hansen and his men burst in to take him away.

------

Steve hung up the phone and turned to Jaime. "He wanted me to tell you that Milly Wilson is dead."

Jaime, curled in an easy chair, completely exhausted, became instantly alert. "What happened? How'd she die?"

"He didn't say."

She threw off the afghan and started to get up. "Well, where did they find her?"

"Didn't say that, either."

"We've gotta call him back," Jaime said, picking up the phone.

"Sweetheart, I'm afraid we can't do that." Steve hadn't planned to tell her about Oscar, but now he had no choice. "He's...being 'detained'."

Jaime was overwhelmed with guilt - and anger. "They arrested him?"

"_Detained_."

"Yeah, well, that just means he was arrested without being charged. The NSB'll hold him as long as they want to, do what they want to..."

"Jaime, sit down."

"I have to go back -"

"_Sit down_. Please?" Steve took a steadying breath before going on. "Oscar is the one who told me to break you out," Steve said, very softly.

"What?"

"He knew what would happen, that they'd take him in, but he also knew we could solve this thing, working together. Since he'd been forbidden to do anything himself to help you, he felt this was his only option."

"I'm not letting him go to jail _and_ ruin his career because of me."

"It isn't because of you; it's because of whoever did this to you. And you and I are going to find them and then they'll have to deal with us - and with Oscar, because once we're no longer fugitives, that'll mean he did nothing wrong either. So let's get to it. Tell me about Milly Wilson."

"The pilot who took me to meet the fake general - the one who took the decoder from me - was named Ted Ryan. He was supposed to get a part of the forty million, but the others didn't wanna share, I guess. They sabotaged his chopper, and he crashed. They killed him."

"They?" Steve asked.

"Hatch and his assistant, John Naud. Naud was the fake general."

"And Milly?"

"Ted's girlfriend. They were supposed to go to Mexico after he got the money. Naud told her he'd share his portion if she'd go to Mexico with him, instead. He's the one who put me in the safe and set it to explode. They left just before Oscar and the NSB got there, so I assumed they made it to Mexico."

"So the only two people left to split the money are Hatch and Naud?"

"Right."

"Hatch invented the damned thing in the first place, right?"

"Spent three years on it."

"Am I missing something?" Steve puzzled out loud. "Why would he -"

"It didn't work. It was junk. He was trying to save his reputation and make a profit at the same time," Jaime explained.

"So he was the one who set this up, then?"

"I'm not sure. But I definitely don't trust Naud, either; might be that little _tried to kill me_ issue."

Steve grimaced. "The way things are going, I'd say the last one of 'em left alive is the one we lock up."

"Or we could grab both of them, throw _them_ in the damned Hole - together - and see if that clears things up -"

"You're not leaving this house," Steve told her firmly. Oscar had sent them to a little-known and very seldom-used OSI safe house, figuring it would be the last place anyone would think to look.

"You became my superior officer...when?" Jaime smiled, to show she was joking. "Wasn't the whole purpose of getting me out to allow us to work as a team?"

"Yeah, to put our heads together and figure it out. Which is exactly what we're doing." Steve took another steadying breath. "Jaime, there was one other thing I didn't wanna tell you unless I absolutely had to."

"That sounds awfully grim."

"The Secret Service is looking for you, now, too. If you resist in any way, or if you try to run, they have orders to shoot."

------


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

"If the Secret Service is looking for me," Jaime said logically, "they're probably looking for you, too."

"They are," Steve confirmed. "But their orders are to take me in alive. Jaime...from what Oscar said, they're looking for just about any excuse to shoot you."

"Was that the first phone call, or the one you made just now?"

"The first. Wait a minute. How do you even know about that call? You were still in the trunk of the car, and - oh. Never mind." Sometimes Steve still forgot just how well Jaime could hear. He had used one of the agency's larger cars, which he'd chosen for the roominess of the trunk, and that was where he'd hidden Jaime until they were well outside of Los Angeles. When they switched to a second car that Steve had arranged to have waiting for them, he'd had her lie down in the backseat, covered with a blanket up to her chin, until he was sure they were traveling alone.

"What I'm trying to tell you," Steve said gently, "is that if they found me, I'd be arrested. If they found you..." He was unable to voice the words, but Jaime understood.

"What about Oscar?" she asked. "What'll happen to him?"

"He doesn't want you to worry about that. In fact, he specifically asked me not to tell you they were detaining him, but you were about to call his office and would've ended up with the NSB on the other end and, well, that left me with no other choice but to tell you."

Jaime thought about that. The blanks were all filled in now. She'd heard Steve's half of the conversation but hadn't been able to hear Oscar. Now that she knew what he'd done, it tore her apart.

"Steve, could you hand me the phone, please?"

"For what?"

Jaime picked up the receiver herself. "I'm gonna call and let them know where to find me."

Steve ripped the phone from her hand, more forcefully than he'd intended. "Like hell, you are!" he said, slamming the receiver into its cradle. He looked at Jaime, saw the fresh, new fear in her eyes and softened, encircling her in his strong but very tender embrace. "I'm sorry, Sweetheart, but I can't let you do that," he told her, much more quietly. Jaime melted into his arms and found that she instantly felt calm, safe and protected.

"You and Oscar - you're both risking so much," she whispered, finally daring - for the first time all day - to look directly into his eyes. The strong, pure love she still saw there, after so many months apart, completely overwhelmed her and brought her own eyes to tears.

"Jaime, it's because we both care about you so much. We know you didn't do what they're trying to say you did. You're not a thief, you are definitely not a cold-blooded killer and I know there's no possibility - at all - that you'd ever betray your country." He brushed the tears from her eyes before they had a chance to hit her cheeks. "This is probably our only chance to prove it."

"Thank you," Jaime said softly, her arms finally completely around Steve's body as well. The two of them had formed a near-perfect circle where, for one brief moment, their souls became re-acquainted and entwined together before reality hit and they were back to the present.

"I'd better get started," Steve said reluctantly, forcing back the urge to kiss her, but not quite ready to let her go yet.

Jaime, feeling the identical urge, didn't fight it. Tilting her face toward his, she brushed his lips with her own, then let them linger there for a stronger, _real_ kiss. "Please be careful, Steve."

He nodded. "And you...Can I trust you to stay in the house and _off_ the phone?"

"Yes."

Steve caressed her cheek once more before breaking away. "I'll be back as soon as I can. Hopefully tonight, but even if it takes longer, **_stay here_** - please? And try to get some rest."

"Ok." Jaime watched out the window as he walked through the thick rows of trees toward where they'd hidden the car. She fully understood now how she'd originally fallen so deeply in love, so long ago.

------

Steve returned just after 4am, opening the door silently, hoping Jaime had somehow managed to fall asleep.

"Hi," she said, from the easy chair in the darkened living room.

Steve turned on a table lamp. "How come you're sitting in the dark?"

"Just thinking. Did you find anything?"

"No. The files you really needed were probably destroyed in the explosion, so this won't be easy, but I'm fairly certain I'm on the right track. I put the word out that I'm looking to talk to Naud."

"You think he was behind all of this?"

"No," Steve clarified. "It was Hatch; it had to be."

"You sound pretty sure -"

"Who would've been the one to realize the decoder didn't work? Its inventor. I mean, he wouldn't have gone to his assistant and said 'I made a piece of junk. What do we do?' Wouldn't make sense. It _had_ to be Doctor Hatch."

"Sounds reasonable," Jaime agreed. "So why are you looking for Naud?"

"Maybe he can tell me something useful about his former boss." Steve smiled reassuringly. "This'll be over even sooner than we thought. Right now, though, I'd feel a lot better if you'd at least try to get a little rest."

Jaime nodded, and they shared one quiet, gentle kiss before heading off to their bedrooms, both of them too restless to even try to sleep.

------

Steve decided to get an early start, heading out the door before 7am. A sleepy voice called to him from the kitchen. "Want some coffee first?"

He accepted a steaming mug and thanked her. He was still surprised by the torrential flood of emotion he felt, just by being near her. They sat together for a few minutes, quietly sipping, completely comfortable together. Steve kissed her once more, holding her for just a beat too long - although she wasn't complaining - before turning to go.

"Any luck, and I'll have Hatch behind bars and be back before dinnertime to take you home."

They shared one more lingering glance and exactly the same spoken thought:

"**_Be careful_**."

------

After an hour, Jaime forced herself to stop pacing like a caged lion and sank into the easy chair to try and relax. She'd almost managed to fall asleep when she was startled by a very loud knock on the door. Her heart stopped for a few moments, but she knew the NSB wouldn't be knocking; they'd break down the door. Oscar? Had they released him, after all? Suddenly excited, she opened to the door. The man on the stoop was not Oscar Goldman. He was Doctor Ellis Hatch.

"Miss Sommers? You and I really must talk."

------


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"Doctor Hatch, if you're not gone - and I mean _gone_ - in thirty seconds, I am calling the NSB, the FBI and the State Police," Jaime bluffed with a lot more courage and firmness than she actually felt.

"So they can shoot you on sight? I highly doubt it. Believe it or not, I've been looking for you for nearly 24 hours straight, and I'm here to help you, Child."

"You're right; I don't believe you. Leave **now**, or I'll destroy you myself. You saw me in that safe, and you know what I can do."

"Miss Sommers, I'm truly sorry for what they've done to you -"

"They? **_You_** did this, Hatch! Because of you, I got put in The Hole, and so help me, I'll put you in a hole in the ground if you don't -"

"I need your help," Hatch said flatly, "and I know you need mine."

"I wouldn't trust you to help me if I was dying of thirst and you had the last canteen on Earth."

"I believe the papers you need to clear your name still exist, and I'd like to help you find them." Hatch could see she was beyond skeptical. "Think about it: the only way I could get out of that safe alive was by giving you the file you needed. With less than a minute left, do you really think I'd give you the wrong file on purpose?"

"If you didn't do this, who did?" Jaime demanded.

"Naud. And I know how and why. I'll tell you all of it, and help you any way I can, but I'd rather not talk on the front stoop."

Jaime sighed. "I'll have my sanity checked when I get back, but I think I believe you," she told him, very reluctantly holding the door open. She flopped into what had become 'her' chair, frowning at Hatch, with her arms crossed stubbornly in front of her. "I'm listening."

"When I began testing my completed decoder, about six months ago, it did everything it was supposed to do. Through an entire month's worth of testing, no problems whatsoever. One morning, I went in and found I suddenly had a cold, dead lump of nothing. Strangest part of that was that for weeks, Naud was so scarce I almost hired a new man, but that morning, he was right there, at my shoulder, following my every move and asking questions every second."

"Meaning...what?" Jaime asked.

"Naud learned when I did that the decoder was junk. He suggested the courier plan - for which I can't apologize enough to you - as a way to dispose of the supposed mistake. It took that file I gave you being a load of crap for me to realize Naud knew all along that we would find a useless metal lump, because he put it there." Hatch shook his head in anger at Naud and at his own gullibility. "He stole the real decoder, sold it for nearly twice that much, kept all the money himself, then substituted a piece of phony junk and profited from that, as well. Then he put gibberish into the file that had held the proof of my earlier success and took those papers, as well as any that incriminated him, and kept them."

"Interesting theory," Jaime allowed. "Why should I believe it?"

"Because he admitted it to me yesterday morning, right after they took you away."

Jaime was stunned. "He - what?"

"He disappeared from the lab before I could talk to him - probably knew I'd figure it out eventually. His mistake was to call me later; I believe to fish around and see what I might know."

"What happened?"

"I confronted him with it - _all _of it - including the fact that he'd had Ted and Milly killed. He became furious, screaming into the phone, telling me I shouldn't have been so nosy, should've just let it be, taken my share and gone away."

"You said you needed my help?" Jaime reminded him. "You need protection from Naud, am I right?"

"No." Doctor Hatch was sad but resolute. "Miss Sommers, there's no escaping the fact that I'm a dead man. Even if I succeeded in putting him away, he'll have me killed. It's only a matter of when. What I want, before that happens, is to make amends for what happened to you. When I leave here, I'm going to meet with Naud, at his request - supposedly to 'talk' - but we both know that's not what he wants."

"He'll...kill you."

"Yes, I know that. The way I see it, I'll be getting it over with. Won't have to be always waiting and wondering when the bullet is coming. At least this way some good can come out of it."

"I don't understand -"

"While Naud is distracted by having to deal with me in the lab," Hatch explained, "you'll have entered his office, from the outside window. I'm assuming you can make it up three stories?"

"Yes."

"His center desk drawer has a false bottom. It's triple-locked, but I doubt that'll be a problem for you, either. I'd bet my life that's where he put that file."

"You _are_ betting your life," Jaime pointed out. "I don't think you -"

"Either way, whether you're with me or not, I'll be seeing him as soon as I leave here. If you'd like to clear your name, here's your chance, Child."

Jaime nodded. Of course, she'd go with him. Then another thought crossed her mind that turned her blood ice-cold and nearly stopped her heart. _Steve_.

------


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

"_Wait there_," Jaime told Doctor Hatch. "If you move from that chair while I'm changing clothes, I will tie you into it, take your keys and go by myself. Understand?" Hatch nodded his assent. As quickly as her bionics allowed, Jaime dug through a clothing box that was maintained at the safe house for operatives who needed to conceal their identities. She pulled her hair into a very high ponytail and tucked every strand under a tan newsboy's cap, then chose a loose-fitting men's white denim shirt, tan cargo pants and tan sneakers. Looking very similar to a college student who might apply for a research assistant's job at a place like Hatch Laboratories, she emerged to find Doctor Hatch still in the chair, in exactly the same position he'd been in when she'd left him there.

"Where's your car?" Jaime demanded, taking an authoritative stance, assuming - correctly - that Hatch was unarmed.

"About three miles down the road," he answered, getting up.

"Sit back down and give me the keys. I'll get the car, bring it as close to the house as I can and and come back in to get you." She knew she'd reach the car much faster without him. "You need to understand something, Doctor," she said, very calmly, "I trust you **zero percent**. You may have initially been victimized, but you turned around and subjected me to 48 hours that no human being should ever have to endure. I've never in my life been as close to completely losing my temper and severely injuring someone as I am right now. But if what you've said is true, someone I care deeply about - someone I **_love_** - is in serious danger, and I have to help him. We may need your testimony, so I'll protect you if I can, but you will not cross me in any way, or you will get hurt. Now..._don't move_."

Jaime was back in just minutes and handed Hatch the keys. "You drive, but I'm watching every move you make. Keep in mind that I don't have to be armed to do serious damage to you."

The 45-minute drive to Hatch Laboratories was silent and extremely tense. Jaime yearned for a way to contact Steve, to know he was alright and to warn him. If he'd already found Naud...

Finally, they were there. Steve was in the building; somehow Jaime just _knew_ it. "Pull over," she told Hatch. The car was just beyond the far end of the fence and hidden by a cluster of trees. "Where do I find his office?"

"As we're facing the building now, third floor, third and fourth window from the right."

"And the lab?"  
"No, child - you just grab the files and get out. I'll deal with Naud."

"I'm calling the shots," Jaime said firmly. "Remember? _You_ stay right here. Now, where's the lab?"

"I don't want -"

"Dammit! I don't have time for this! _Where is the lab_?"

"Out the office door and down the stairs at the far end of the hall."

"Stay here." Jaime jumped the fence and took off across the lawn, faster than she'd ever run before.

Doctor Hatch didn't get out of the car, but he didn't follow orders, either. As soon as Jaime was running toward the building, he put the car in gear and sped away.

------

Jaime landed on the ledge between Naud's two office windows and paused to listen carefully. She could hear two voices, and - yes - one of them was Steve's.

"If you're really an innocent pawn, then you won't have any problem with giving me the files,"

_Innocent_? Jaime thought, _Don't buy it, Steve - he was the phony general who took the decoder from me._

"Of course," Naud answered, "anything you need. C'mon - everything you're looking for is in the lab."

_**No**! He's lying, Steve!_ She heard the office door open and then close again. _Damn!_ Jaime didn't waste time trying to ease the window open. One fast, solid kick was all it took, and she stepped into the office. She pulled out the center desk drawer and punched a hole in the bottom. A hidden compartment; Hatch had told her the truth - at least this far. Working quickly, she pulled the drawer apart. Bingo! The papers! Jaime headed for the door, rolling up the papers so they could go in the big side pocket of her cargo pants. Just as she reached for the doorknob, the door flew open, very nearly slamming into her face, and she found herself staring down the barrel of a gun, just inches away and pointed directly at her head.

"I'll take those, _Little Girl_."

_Oh, God._ "Inspector Gregory, take a minute to look at these papers. They prove I'm innocent."

Once again, Gregory smirked. "Oh, I already know you're innocent."

"Did Steve -"

"I've known all along." Gregory grabbed Jaime roughly by the arm. Considering the gun to her head, she didn't try to resist. "You could've lived a nice, long life down in The Hole, or even on the run, but you just had to go and get nosy, didn't you? Very dumb. Also very fatal. Now we're going for a walk. You'll find the lab here quite interesting."

_The lab_! Jaime tried her best to stall. "If you're gonna shoot me anyway, why don't you just get it over with, so you can get out of here?"

"Nice try, and very noble. I know your fiance is in the lab with Naud."

"I don't have a fiance," Jaime told him truthfully.

"Whatever. You know who I mean. I'll deal with all three of you at once; less hassle, and quicker, too."

"I don't know about John Naud, but Colonel Austin has nothing to do with this."

"Maybe he didn't, but like you he just had to stick his nose where it didn't belong. He'll have to pay the same price as you will." Gregory pressed the gun directly to her head and yanked on her arm. "Let's go. Now!"

------


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Steve was facing trouble of his own, down in the lab. Naud wasn't sure what Steve might've already uncovered, but his profits were being threatened, and he was determined to protect them at any cost. He pulled his gun. "Ok, Colonel - in the corner and face the wall."

Steve did as he was told, holding a picture of Jaime in his mind to sustain him. If he was really about to die, he wanted her face to be his last thought. Before he reached the corner, the sound of a shot from a larger, more powerful gun than Naud's interrupted the proceedings. Steve turned in time to see John Naud sinking slowly to the floor. Inspector Gregory stood in the doorway and - **_No!_** - he was holding Jaime firmly by the arm. Something told him she wasn't under arrest.

Gregory shoved her very roughly in Steve's direction. "Get over there and stand by your 'friend'."

Steve caught Jaime before she could fall or slam into the corner. "Look, Gregory," he said slowly, "Jaime just got out of The Hole -"

"Yesterday."

"Well, she didn't come here with me. I'm the one who was investigating; she doesn't know anything."

"Shut up!" Gregory barked. "The entire Bionic Project - and the whole OSI, for that matter - have been nothing but a thorn in my side since I came to the NSB -"

"Why?" Jaime challenged, "Because we go against your 'profit at any cost' theory?"

Steve wrapped a protective, comforting arm around Jaime, fully believing her mouth was about to get her shot.

Gregory sneered. "Woman plus mouth is not an attractive combination." He raised his gun. "I think you'll have to be first."

Steve began to step in front of her when he heard a shot from the doorway. The gun flew from the inspector's hand, his wrist bleeding profusely. Jack Hansen stood in the doorway, with a battalion of NSB agents behind him. "Next shot _won't_ hit your arm," he said. "You're under arrest," he told Gregory, then turning to his agents, he added "Get him the hell out of my sight." Hansen looked at John Naud, lying on the floor, barely moving. "And call an ambulance."

Once she'd recovered from the shock, and when what had happened - and almost happened - had sunk in, Jaime threw her arms around Steve with a huge sigh of relief.

"It's over, Sweetheart," Steve whispered, holding her close.

They both turned to watch Gregory being arrested and handcuffed. "Shackles and a belly-chain would be nice," Jaime declared.

Hansen turned to the agents. "You heard the lady." He walked over to where Steve had eased Jaime into a chair and was gently rubbing her shoulders. "Miss Sommers, the most profuse apology would be nowhere near enough to make up for what happened to you, but please know that I am truly sorry. Your record will be immediately cleared, of course -"

"What about Oscar?" she asked.

"I've already radioed Headquarters with the order to release him." Hansen told them. "There's a car outside to take you both to his office, and then anywhere else you need or want to go."

"How did you know where to find us?" Steve queried.

"I got a phone call - a tip."

"From who?"

"From me," Ellis Hatch said, walking in the door and over to Hansen. "When you wouldn't let me come in with you, I knew you'd need help. Also knew Naud had to be stopped. I had no idea about the inspector, but now I'm doubly glad I called."

"So am I," Hansen said.

Steve and Jaime, in stereo, added "So are we."

"Your testimony against John Naud would very likely reduce your own sentence dramatically," Hansen told him.

Hatch looked directly at Jaime. "Selling my own device was one thing; what happened to you was something I simply couldn't live with. Alright, Mr. Hansen - I'm ready to go." As Hansen led him out the door, Doctor Hatch turned to look at Jaime and Steve one more time. "Stick together, kids, and you'll both be just fine."

------

Steve gazed happily at Jaime through the candlelight. He was eating very slowly, unable to take his eyes off of her, and the way her hair glittered like gold in the glowing, dancing light. They were having steak, lobster, and anything else they wanted to eat or drink, courtesy of Jack Hansen.

"You know," Jaime told him softly, "I'm starting to feel guilty, eating by myself." Their eyes met, and suddenly Jaime found food was one of the furthest things from her mind, as well. "We are so lucky," she added.

"Luck had nothing to do with it. We're the best team out there; always have been."

"You're right. I realized something today, though."

"That you don't wanna do this kind of work anymore? You'd rather have the house, white picket fence, 2.4 kids and a dog?" Steve said lightly. Jaime smiled at him. "Guess I shouldn't try so hard, huh?" he added.

"Steve, you don't have to try at all. I've got a feeling that's in our future; all of it."

"Oh, really?"

Jaime's eyes danced with happiness...and love. "What I realized is that, no matter who or what splits us apart, we keep ending up together again. Somebody up there is trying to tell us something."

It was Steve's turn to smile. "Like Doctor Hatch said, Sweetheart, as long as we're together, we'll both be just fine."

END


End file.
